I have been facing a reoccurring theme on this forum… whenever anything is revealed about Mortal kombat 9 Someone always says something along the likes of, "I hope there is a way to turn off button to block…"
What I want to know is why people are opposed to this? I play fine with both systems and I really don’t understand the stigma. Is it just a problem of what people are used to or what??
I just want a little clarification without all the hurf durf trolling. 
Button blocking removes the ability to cross-up opponents but that was never of use in MK. For me it just seems like a useless button to have I guess.
Most games that use a button pretty much screw out players who could otherwise hit from the blind side. That’s why many hate it.
You can still get crossed up its just much much harder.
edit: http://ultimatemk.com/cguide.php?character=general&game=umk3arcade scroll down to crossups.
That write up alone should explain it right there. The only way to get damage in that system off a crossup is via a throw. Compare this to a traditional “hold back” system where the cross up itself not only breaks the throw but can lead to more damage off a combo.
The text just said that they are used for other stuff and not to break the defense. (since with a block button, it can’t)
They can do whatever they want in MK because people will be satisfied with a game that’s not total crap for a change, but imagine a real competitive game (with its player base having real competitive expectations from it) w/o the ability to mix which way your opponent needs to block, [media=youtube]xc9Mmz2VESQ#t=03s"]right or [URL=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUgXwUSz05k#t=3m16s”[/media].
[media=youtube]T4ifoIdkRBo#t=0m49s[/media]
crossups right there
Those Chipp mix-ups were sexy as hell. I enjoy having a variety of options of trying to get in on an opponent, and button-blocking just seems to take a tool away from rush-down. Dumbing down offense is never a good idea.
I’m probably exaggerating though, seeing as I’ve never taken an MK game seriously to know its mechanics well. Here’s hoping this one is worth getting into.
I’ve been wondering what would happen if they made it so that there are a few frames where you can’t block after being crossed up to allow for proper (non throw) crossups? Off course, such a system might make crossups too good.
wouldn’t that make all crossups unblockable?
That doesn’t help anything, just replaces “no crossups” with “jump over them for free damage”
That happens in Tekken. But of course, jumping over someone is quite the feat in that game. Getting hit in the back also does more damage, if I remember correctly. Also, in Tekken, you don’t have to touch the controller to block high. Though, there are some attacks that will blow through neutral-blocking.
In Melty Blood, when you’re blocking (holding back to initiate) as long as you’re still within the ‘blocking’ animation (not necessarily in block stun anymore) you will block everything. This prevents a lot of nasty potential wakeup games with the amount of stuff that can be put onto the field after a knockdown though. You can still be crossed up though since you’d be holding the wrong direction to block in the first place.
As I said, it would make crossups too good.
The lack of traditional crossup game is a stupid reason to hate block. Block buttons like the one in MK work so much differently from holding back. There’s different perks, different downsides.
The simplest positive with the block button is that you have far more control over your spacing. There’s no proximity blocking, so you’re not gonna suddenly stop when an opponent throws out an attack at a certain range.
I think people just prefer to hold the opposite direction, it’s simpler and easier to switch into attacks from. It seems to me that most fighting games use the holding back option rather than the button block, so people are probably more prone to being accustomed to holding back to block. The only 2 games I can think of that use button blocking are Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat.
it’s very awkward to play MK on an arcade stick also, games like sc and vf have either 2 or three attack buttons so the fourth isnt an issue
Block buttons just feel clunkier and unnecessary to me.
when you have back to block as well as move back, it prevents movement.
In sf2, there was a technique called the jab trap. Basically even if you’re full screen and you’re holding back as the opponent attacks, you’re blocking no matter what. Now think about it from a footsie range where you could poke the opponent. Well if player A was trying to move out of range, player B could jab trap them a few times and player A moves no where. So player A’s only option to move back is jupbck which can easily be countered by rog\shoto’s\dhalsim\claw\guile\deejay\sagat. So moving back in certain situation is a bad idea, why?
In mvc2, if there is something on the screen to block on screen, the only way to dash back is to input bck+2p’s within 2 frames. Now if your character doesn’t have an airdash to get around this programming error, they lose all mobility. Strider in mvc2 can’t double jump upbck if there is something to block. All low tiers lose dashing back as a practical answer where as storm\mag are free to do what they want because of their air dashes. While mag\storm can’t dash back on the ground either, the ability to SJ and not give up your position is VITAL and they still attack, air dash back, to move backwards where as charlie can only jupbck. Holding back should not affect movement, its stupid that capcom did games like that.
Then capcom does the proximity guard thing which is a step in the right direction but jab traps still exist in ssf4. Why can’t I just move?
The way MK does block button is pretty stupid, I don’t like that. However if you made a 2d game with a block button and still made it so you have to block hi\lo and left\right, it would allow more movement within the 2d engine.
The evasion game opens up in ‘block button fighters,’ since your character doesn’t freeze to guard whenever an attack is thrown at you. It’s also slightly easier to buffer commands with a block button that freezes your character.
I’ll let someone else say it